Nerves Getting to You Before You Play? Try This!

Most players feel their nerves a little when they are playing their first few tournaments. Some experience this more than others. I have also experienced jitters when competing at a larger tournament than I usually play at, or when I have stepped up a level.

There are many ways to try to calm your nerves, but for me, one of the most powerful and counterintuitive means of disarming my nerves and fears is to just talk about them. Articulating the worst things I think could happen.

• I am going to pop up balls when I'm dinking.
• My drop shots will go too high or into the net.
• All my balls will go out.
• I am going to hit all my serves out or into the net.
• I am going to commit foot faults in the NVZ (non-volley zone).
• I will cause my team to lose 11-0 in every game. We won't even score a single point.
• My partner might get mad because I'm so terrible and s/he may never want to play with me again.

Saying those things out loud won't mean that you don't make mistakes. But articulating those fears can actually help you relax. Whatever your anxieties are related to, try saying them out loud and see if that doesn't defuse some of your anxiety. This is actually a trick psychologists use for people with debilitating anxiety disorders, but it can work for more minor anxieties as well.

This might not work for you. That's fine. There are likely other tools you can use to help calm your nerves, but this is one trick that works for me.

I hope you find this helpful. Thanks for stopping by!

No Fun David